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Monday, April 30, 2012

Sacrifice

I didn't have my own lamb photo, so I borrowed a free one.

My strength is not always in recounting history or understanding it per se. But I am really good at application of principles. So here is my attempt at connecting a portion of history with the current applications of the principle of sacrifice. I am sure there are many of you out there who know and understand more than I do. Feel free to comment :-)

The Lord has always required sacrifice of His people. In Old Testament times and under the Mosaic law, the sacrifice was a blood sacrifice, to symbolize the coming atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. A lot of times we brush right past that thought and we do not look at what that really required of the participants. Now, I am no expert but....

These animals were the best that they had to offer. Some of the requirements were that it was a male animal without blemish. It is my understanding that these people raised these animals---they were their pets--they loved them.

The Bible Dictionary, under sacrifices states, "It is noteworthy that when three offerings were offered together, the sin always preceded the burnt, and the the burnt, the peace offerings. Thus the order of the symbolizing sacrifices was the order of atonement, sanctification, and fellowship with the Lord."

Sacrifice is a law. It is required of us. In our day of me and mine and my rights and I want it now---sacrifice seems like a very foreign concept. But it is still a concept and it is still required of us. So then the question becomes: How do we practice the law of sacrifice today?

Today the Lord requires a different kind of sacrifice. 3rd Nephi 9: 19-20 states, " ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood....and your burnt offerings shall be done away....And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." The Gospel Principles Manual says that means "that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them." In the dictionary, contrite is defined as grieving and penitent for sin or shortcoming.

If we truly understood the scriptures and really believed
them, i.e. no unclean thing can dwell with God (1st Nephi 10:21); we
would understand that the tiniest sin of omission or commission would
keep us from returning to our Father in Heaven---the smallest judgmental
thought---would keep us out. And we of ourselves have absolutely zero
power to rectify that, to fix it, and if we truly felt a part of the
cost that Heavenly Father and the Savior paid to fix that for us, we
would sacrifice and pay any price They asked of us. We would accept all
of our callings and assignments. We would pay all of our tithing,
follow the Word of Wisdom and have and keep a temple recommend. We
would make the sacrifices necessary to bring our lives in harmony with
the principles being taught. And as we learned new principles where we were
not in line, we would make new sacrifices to bring our lives in harmony
in those places.

D&C 97:8 Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are ahonest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are bwilling to observe their covenants by csacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are daccepted of me.

It is not enough to make covenants. We must observe them. The Lord
tells us that we do that through sacrifice--and not just any sacrifice,
but every sacrifice which I the Lord shall command---He gets to chose
what the sacrifice is.

Elder Maxwell: The only truly unique gift we can give our Heavenly
Father is the complete submission of our will; all else we give Him is
only returning the things He has given us.

Also, from Elder Maxwell's biography: 'The true disciple develops, then, from accepting to appreciating, to adoring, and then emulating Christ. Now Neal was seeing that emulating One who suffered as Jesus did also means the follower must somehow yield his own kind of full sacrifice. "If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do," Elder Maxwell. Within that process that process, the Savior blesses us with the gift of the Spirit---including charity---after all we can do.'

So then, personal application:
I was giving a presentation to my son's third grade class about my 'job'---being a stay at home mom. They were studying the community and how the community is influenced by the work we all do. I felt prompted to go in a speak in a very bold way about the work of mothers. So I did. We were discussing how many children we have and the teacher said, "Mrs. L. likes having children so much that she kept having them." In the moment, I did not correct her. But after I got home and pondered her comment, I thought, I do not keep doing this because I like it. It is very, very difficult for me and if I were doing what I wanted to do, I would not have done this so many times. I do it because He asks me to. Now, I am not going to go into any doctrine to justify my position. This is a personal statement about my relationship with the Savior and what He has asked of ME. But because of Elder Maxwell's statement above, I am sure that for those of you who are serious in your discipleship, He has asked difficult things of you. But they will be different than what He has asked of me. And I have noticed, as I obey and receive the blessings of obedience, He again asks me to do that which is more difficult than what I have already done. Have you noticed the same things??

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About Me

Mother of nine. Busy as a bee. Loving life, living, learning, enjoying the process. Each day is a new adventure which provides growth and development for all (our family motto)! So my time is spent helping my family accept and adjust to the new things they get to experience in mortality. Never a dull moment!

Quotes for my life:

"To do well does not mean everything will always turn out well. The key is to remember that faith and obedience are still the answers, even when things go wrong, perhaps especially when things go wrong."--David E. Sorensen, "Faith Is the Answer," Ensign, May 2005, 72

“The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.”President Spencer Kimball, “Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters,” Ensign, November 1978, 105

Mothers who Know

COURAGE...

Life's journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed: the courage to say, 'No,' the courage to say, 'Yes.' Decisions do determine destiny. The call for courage comes constantly to each of us. It has ever been so, and so shall it ever be.--Thomas S. Monson, "The Call for Courage," Ensign, May 2004, 54

STRENGTH

“When[ever] I am tempted to feel that I have finished some hard task in the [Lord’s service] and deserve a rest, the Savior’s example gives me courage to press on. … When[ever] [I] remember Him, it becomes easier to resist the temptation to want a rest from [our] priesthood labors. We must have remembered Him today, and so we are here to [remember to] learn our duties, determined to do what we are covenanted to do, in all diligence. And because of His example we will endure to the end of the tasks He gives us in this life and be committed to do the will of His Father forever, as He was and is. This is the Lord’s Church. He called us and trusted us even in the weaknesses He knew we had. He knew the trials we would face. … We can become ever more like Him.” Henry B. Eyring, “Act in All Diligence,” Ensign, May 2010, 60-63.

Motivation

"To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done."--Richard G. Scott, "Finding the Way Back," Ensign, May 1990, 74

I have the feeling I will need this later

"The refiner's fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God." Elder Quentin L. Cook